Cubby said he met Frey through pitching and lost a few games, which made him want to add her to the team. “When you lose someone’s pitches so many times, you have to figure out how to hire them,” joked Cubby, who also worked with Frey at Digitalia more than a decade ago. “I had the opportunity to play against her during her time at R/GA, and she was a really great force and energized the team. She understands where and how to build strategic relationships.”

And that will be part of her job at CA. Her efforts will be focused on continuing to integrate CourtAvenue’s various assets, including social agency Modifly, Ukrainian bot company BotsCrew, and several AI tools and platforms built by the group.

“What we’re seeing across the industry is a clear move away from these generalist networks and holdcos. Clients are looking to specialty partners, but with a little bit of a twist,” said Frey, who has not yet traveled to CA’s client roster. “CMOS is looking for deep expertise that understands their category, understands their problems, and understands the specific growth levers that matter. But at the same time, they don’t want this disruption. Brands are consolidating their rosters, but they’re actually increasing their spending on partners who can integrate brand, media, commerce, AI, and technology into a single system.”

“We’re not doing campaigns anymore. We’re doing digital experiences,” Cubby added. “We’re not running TV commercials anymore. We’re making AI-generated commercials. This is a product of technology and a core part of what we do. We need people who really understand the elements of technology. Robin will be very strong there with his experience at R/GA and then Stagwell.”

Frey said the advantage of starting on Court Avenue is a satisfied customer base, something not all holdcos can claim to have. He noted that CA’s NPS score (a measure of marketers’ satisfaction with their agency) is just below 90, compared to the industry standard of 60.

“My client is in the happiest situation I’ve ever seen him in,” Frey said. “NPS scores like this don’t come from one great campaign. They come from launching a successful model as an advisor and trusted executor for our clients at every point.”

That should lead to further growth of organic nature, she said. But another part of growth will come from finding the right businesses to acquire that will help mini-holdcos (their leaders like to say baggage-free) expand their services. Cubby said areas of expansion could include, but are not limited to, data expertise in the form of customer data platforms.

“Because if we want to win with AI, we want to win there. We want to be seen as an agency that lives in the world of AI. We have to win with data,” Cubby said, also pointing to customer experience expertise and CRM as potential acquisition targets.

The clients have never met Frey, but what she’s talking about seems to align with their goals.

“I hope that [Freye] “It helps us connect the dots across the funnel in a way that levels everything up in terms of access to partners, access to efficiencies, access to inventory,” said Laura Gustafson, senior director of consumer brand experience at Elanco, an animal health company that expanded its mandate with Court Avenue from small-scale testing work to full-funnel AOR. This is a trap for truly excellent agents. ”

CPG customers declined to discuss attribution but said they rely on CourtAvenue to solve problems they can’t solve internally. “When I called Michael, [Stich] “I use their team, and it’s usually about issues that I don’t understand. They tend to be broad topics that I know are very important to my business, but that I’m in the early stages of understanding,” the executive said.

The executive pointed to CA’s efforts to help brands adapt their search strategies to ensure they are mentioned in LLM searches. “We need an end-to-end solution. That’s why I call them.”

Steve Boler, who runs the consulting firm Mercer Island Group, said it’s this type of holdco competition that poses a challenge for larger companies. “The push by large holdcos towards large global customers has created an opportunity for smaller holdcos and indies to stand out to mid-market customers,” Boehler said. “There is clearly an opportunity for young holdcos like CourtAvenue to meet the needs of many mid-market customers.”

color code by number

A year into his inauguration, many conventional wisdoms have been upended, and with AI exploding in the tech world, consumers are generally not the happiest of people right now. Consumer research firm DISCO has released a consumer trends report that shows people are not distancing themselves from media, but rather paying more attention to what they feel is worth their time.

Some of the report’s findings include:

• 55% of consumers Although I am negative about the direction of the world in 2026, I am optimistic when thinking about the next five years.
• Television (49%) and social media (48%) are the channels most likely to drive purchases, but are also perceived as the most disruptive.
• 61% describe personal experience Although it shapes how users feel about brands, advertising still plays an influential role by setting expectations and reinforcing trust throughout the journey.
• 53% of consumers begin their product research on search engines, 38% rely on reviews, and 29% turn to social media, highlighting how advertising, discovery, and verification can work together.
• 40% of consumers We feel neutral about influencer advertising. 27% view influencer advertising positively and 33% view it negatively.
• 35% of consumers feel neutral about brands using AI in advertising, with feelings almost evenly split between positive (30%) and negative (35%).

takeoff and landing

• Dentsu’s iprospect Renewal of search engine advertising operations siemens It is sold in 150 countries, including major markets such as the United States, South Korea, and China. This decision follows a review by consumer technology companies.
• Stagwell We launched something called an incubator fund. Quarter Creek Venturesto fund and scale opportunities across adtech and AI. It will provide funding, expertise and market access to recipients.
• independent social institutions naturally sociable Started social media AOR business in the US for camera manufacturers Nikon.
• hermelin mediaThe Philadelphia-based company has been awarded digital media AOR services for Stihl outdoor equipment. This also includes specific work on battery technology.
• Personnel changes: Department hired Michael Runyon As CTO for the Americas, Runyon comes from Critical Massachusetts and will expand the department’s partnership with Adobe across the region…Digital Media Shop i drove hired Chris Kotick As VP of Digital Operations based in Toronto. He comes from Monks Canada, where he led media operations.

direct quote

“Even when I was at GroupM, we were starting to say that in the world of data, scale isn’t everything. In the world of biddable media, scale doesn’t guarantee much. It helps, and it never hurts, but…”

— Lee Doyle, Chief Investment Officer, Empower Media, on the changing market.

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